One of Fiji’s main fishing companies has rejected
claims by conservationists that Fiji is becoming a hub for shark finning in the
Pacific region.

The Hong Kong Shark Association expressed concerns
that Air Pacific has been flying a substantial quantity of shark fin into Hong
Kong.

Radio Australia approached Air Pacific for comment on this story
again, but nobody was available to speak to them.

But as Timothy Pope
reports, Fiji’s major seafood companies say the reports are
exaggerated.

Presenter: Timothy Pope

Speaker: Fiji Fish Marketing
CEO Russell DunhamPope:
Hong Kong’s government recently announced a huge increase in the amount of air
freight coming in from Fiji, saying it allowed residents to enjoy a wide range
of fishery products. To the Hong Kong Shark Association, fishery products meant
shark fin.

The groups spoke to pilots who confirmed shark fin was coming
in on Air Pacific flights, but the Fiji Fishy Industry, says the reports have
been exaggerated.

Russell Dunham, CEO of Fiji Fish Marketing,
says the vast majority of seafood isn’t shark at all.Dunham: The volume I would suggest or the increase
in volume is probably mostly attained or attributed to the increase of actual
fish that I air freight to Hong Kong or that some of the other companies also
air freight to Hong Kong, that’s becoming quite an important market. A lot of
the air freighted volume, is actually tuna, tuna loins or Yellow Fin loins for
market.But
you’ll appreciate that especially for conservation groups and from an animal
welfare point of view, shark finning is a reasonable hot button
issue?It is, and that’s precisely why Fiji is probably one
of the first nations in the Pacific that has actually embarked on a sort of a
national plan of actions for sharks and this is a management plan to make sure
there is sustainable levels of interaction with sharks and I think Fiji is to be
applauded for its efforts in this regard. And there were national plan of action
has been in consultation with from government with fishing industry
stakeholders, as well as the conservation groups, like
WWF.

So are they trying to work towards a sale and
possession ban on shark fin?No, what we’re trying to do is look at the management of sharks and
minimise interaction with sharks and look at mitigation measures when we’re
fishing, like the damming of steel traces on any fishing gear, for example, is
one and there’s several other management issues you can put in place to make
sure you minimise interaction with sharks.And, all the sharks that are caught in the region. Do
fishermen tend to use all the shark or is the shark just finned and then thrown
back?Look, not that I’m
aware of and look I’ve seen those videos-made movies and of those clips of that
sort of action. To my knowledge, that doesn’t occur in the Pacific and I’ve seen
a lot of the vessels that actually do unload if they do have sharks on board and
it is a minimal amount. The big vessels, and the larger frozen vessels and
they’ve got shark bodies as well as the fins attached to those shark bodies, as
that’s the requirement now.So that is actually a government regulation in Fiji, that you can’t
just bring shark fins?No, you cannot. You have to have bodies attached, to actually get it
to be able to ship out, it’s got to be attached to bodies and that’s exactly
what’s happening now.

Now whether they’re physically attached or they
have been removed and attached by or tied up together, but you’ve got to have,
for every pair of fins, you’ve got to have a body with it.

Bear in mind,
the majority of the fishermen that are fishing here are targeting tuna. Noone is
specifically targeting sharks. To my knowledge in the Pacific now, there is no
country that licensed shark boats per say or shark licence. So you’re licensed
to fish for tuna.So
there isn’t that demand from export countries like China and specifically Hong
Kong, where there’s demand for shark fin, therefore, we will look for shark fin
in the Pacific?Look,
the demand for shark fin has decreased so much over the last 18 months
particularly and as such, prices have dropped as well, from what I understand
from the product. So there is less and less demand for shark fin
product.So when Air Pacific says that the reports of shark
fin being freighted on their plane is exaggerated. You’re assessment of that
is?I do not believe
that the amount of volume of in terms of tonnage is attributed to shark fin or
shark products. I believe the increase of volume of air freight between Nadi and
Hong Kong, is the tuna fish, not shark.